Flash flooding damages roads, property in Sharon

SHARON >> Flooding was reported in the area as a thunderstorm passed through the Northwestern section of Connecticut on Sunday evening.

The Sharon Fire Department confirmed the reports on Sunday. Some roads were closed as a result. According to reports on Twitter, firefighters responded to Sharon Hospital to pump water out of the basement.

NBC Connecticut meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan said on Twitter there was a report of more than 3.3" in just over an hour in Sharon.

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Sharon First Selectman Robert J. Loucks spent most of the evening assisting emergency response crews, his wife Judy said.

"We got a downpour, for maybe just half an hour," Judy Loucks said about the thunderstorm. She said her husband stopped by their home before heading back out to assist with the storm duty, and he said the flooding was like a raging river. "Route 41 was just a torrent of water rushing through there."

Loucks said since Sharon has a lot of dirt roads, the mess is even harder to clear. She said she and her husband received about 6 calls from town residents about flooding. She said she had heard of no injuries, and her husband said that water was gushing out from storm drains.

Loucks said one person called and said their lawn had been destroyed by the waters, and another person said water was gushing into a basement through a window.

A flash flood warning was issued for northwestern Litchfield County at 5:14 p.m. ET. by the National Weather Service forecast office in Albany, N.Y. According to the alert, thunderstorms producing flash flooding were reported by local emergency management officials. Road were closed as a result of the flooding, and one bridge was also reported as closed, according to the alert. The alert was in effect until 7:15 p.m. on Sunday.

Tom Bartram, the town emergency manager for Sharon, said the first call they received about flooding was from the Sharon Hospital. He said the flooding condition took about two hours to clear at the hospital.

He said no injuries were reported as a result of the storm.

"There is damage to state highways," Bartram said on Sunday night. "We got about 3 and a half inches of rain in about an hour, and it just absolutely overwhelmed everything."

Bartram said Route 4, 41 and 343 all suffered structural damage. Local roads were also damaged.

"There were several town roads where edges are washed down," Bartram said, adding that the roads will be narrower for the time being.

Along with the hospital, Bartram said that "three or two more" homes were pumped and cleared of water. He said there was some flooding in the businesses in a shopping center, but that damage there was minor and cleanup was under way.

The NWS had previously issued a flash flood watch at 3:32 p.m. ET on Sunday for portions of Northwestern Connecticut, including northern and southern Litchfield. The watch runs through Tuesday morning, according to the alert.

A flood watch suggests a potential for flooding based on current forecast, according to the National Weather Service.

Salisbury Fire Marshal Mike Fittin said the Salisbury Fire Department was assisting the Sharon Fire Department during the storm. Members of the Canaan Fire Company were also assisting.